The Lost Years
by detrametal
Summary: A storm leaves Hiccup seperated from all the world. what happens when he comes back? good, bad, decent? let me know. rated M to be safe...


I don't own HTTYD. please R&R. four cookies and a jolly rancher to who ever does!

* * *

One month was all it took for things to go from bad to great. In one night things went from great to the worst it could have gotten.

Astrid looked around, the frosty night had claimed it's place the chill of the night air cut deep into her. The cold air also cleared away all the clouds, the stars gave just enough light to hunt by. She quietly stepped from her house down the hill and slipped her way towards the forge. She knew he would be there.

Twenty minuets later her hand wanted to wring a neck, where in Hel was he? A small creaking and a growl from the docks told her all she needed. A small smirk spread across her face.

Her relationship with her pray was complicated. Until two months ago she was indifferent. He was worse than useless, he was a walking catastrophe. Then she had seen his innate kindness that had allowed him to befriend a dragon. After he had woken from his coma she had seen the side of him that was Gobber's child. A craftsman with a way of manipulating metal in ways that nobody before him could manage, his precision was second to none, his concentration was astounding. She had once flying tackled him while he was working on a broach. One of the worst mistakes she ever made. He didn't move, she slid down to the floor griping her nose in pain. What was going on? The weakest Viking in the village didn't budge an inch! He had continued to work for over an hour without noticing her. She got an evil idea, she pressed herself into his back wrapped her arms around his chest and started to murmur things in his ear that Loki would have blushed at. No reaction. After he completed his work for the day he had turned and jumped just then noticing her. To make things more complicated after killing the hive queen she had kissed him but in the time since then she just talked to him, like a friend. He had seemed to respond like a brother, a big brother. At first she had laughed at his attitude, but the more she thought about it the more reasonable it became. Wasn't a big brother supposed to help and support you? Her own big brother's didn't help her at all. He had helped and supported the entire village since Toothless had pulled him out of that fire.

At the docks she stopped walking and started stalking. She saw Toothless walking and heard the distinctive squeal of metal against metal. She looked out from behind the crates as she heard the slide of rope over the dock. She stepped out and saw her pray and Toothless propelling the small boat into the sea.

She yelled, his head whipped around so fast she thought his head would pop right off "where are you going?!"

He shouted angrily "Away from here, I can't take it!" she opened her mouth to shout back but a sudden squall blew in. During her hunt she hadn't noticed the black clouds move under the black sky. The wind slammed her into the crates and tossed her into the barn by the dock. She barely slipped into the building before the door slammed shut. She tried to force them open but if felt as if Thor himself was holding the doors shut. The wind howled in such fury that no mortal could have stood against it's wrath. In the morning when she opened the door the dock was a mess. One small boat was missing.

That was the last time she had seen him.

* * *

Two years had passed since the night when Berk lost it's greatest hero. Astrid, now seventeen, walked into her nadder's barn. The blue dragon squawked in dragonesse "Hiccup is-" and stopped as she but her hand on it's head. Every morning for the past eleven months the dragon's greeting was that same message.

"I know girl, I know…" after Hiccups' disappearance nobody could communicate with the dragons, so Astrid had taken it upon herself to learn their language. Dragonesse was a hard language and she still only understood a hand full of words. The female nadder, Cloudcatcher, started her daily routine and tossed back a basket of fish and allowed her partner to run a brush over her lustrous scales. The doors busted open as Fishlegs busted in. Gone was the shy youth and he was replaced by a bear of a Viking. He had turned his body into a rolling tank, he still was round but it was all muscle. She had seen him drag an inebriated Gronckle back to it's pen. He now didn't talk much, he was the type of guy who listened and learned more than spoke. His permanently calm demeanor was ruffled as he entered. His short hair was tussled, his face flushed and he was winded. She turned to face him and he grabbed her wrist and pulled her out of the barn. Cloud wasn't wary, this boy wasn't trying to mate with her rider. He was interested in the female human who looked just like the male…unless it was the male he was pining after. Those humans looked the same to her and she often gotten them mixed up.

* * *

Astrid couldn't get a word in edgewise as Fishlegs pulled her towards the dock. After a grueling ten minuet sprint. Astrid saw the whole village gathered on the field right before the docks. "Ruff and Tuff just flew in to tell us! *GASP* that black dot" his sausage of a finger pointed to a spot and she squinted to see "was *GASP* Hiccup!" she gaped at him. She ran down to get right in front of the crowd.

* * *

Astrid would never admit it but she had dreamed of Hiccup's return. All but Stoic, Gobber and his dragon training class, Ruff and Tuff, Legs and Snotlout thought he was dead. Her dreams left her happy and disgusted at the same time, it always went the same way. A pink frame tints her view, Hiccup shows up, roses are thrown, he grabs her, kisses her senseless and then takes her to his room and fucks her senseless. Gods how she wanted that! But the pink frame was really too much. His first words to her were always "Hey babe, missed you" like some cool badass and not like Hiccup. She never would have guessed his real first words to the Isle of Berk.

"THE FUCK OUTTA' THE WAY!" as he perched on top of Toothless, who was quickly falling. People parted for the falling reptile. The dirt that popped up when that dragon and boy hit the ground had people digging dust out from _in _their walls for months. Hiccup checked on his dragon and stood. That simple act had people gasping at the man in front of them. The gods had taken the boy as a sacrifice and returned one of their own. Hiccup looked every inch a warrior. His new height put him over six feet, leaving him lording over the rest of the people. His body had muscles, but not the puff of a Viking, no, his muscles were chords. Like Gleipnir. Thinner and stronger than anything that had been seen before. Hiccup was clothed in a shirt whose sleeves ended mid fore arm and long black pants and the oddest thing was he had two boots, what one legged man needed two boots? And where did he get the stuff? His body also had some impressive scars. Across both arms the end of his sleeve met a line of scar tissue about an inch wide. Peaking out from his collar was a white jagged line running from the base of his neck on the left side down and across before disappearing into his shirt. His face had three scars running from one side to the other, one ran right under his eyes, another sat a quarter of an inch below that running across the bridge of his nose and the other sat another quarter inch below that. His shaggy reddish hair obscured the lines as well as his eyes. The stubble on his face was dyed the same iron red color. As the wind blew his hair lifted up and made his eyes visible. Astrid gasped, those were not Hiccup's eyes, these emerald eyes didn't have his compassion in them. They were emotionless. He looked around. No smile, no sound he just took in the scene around him.

The tenseness that permeated the air made Astrid feel sick, this was not the boy she knew. Snoutlout couldn't read the atmosphere and rushed up and slapped a hand on Hiccup's shoulder "Hey how's it going Cousi-AW GODS STOP!" Hiccup had grabbed Lout's hand by the pad of his thumb and twisted until Lout was facing the other way with his hand behind his back begging Hiccup to let go.

Hiccup's look changed to a glare that cut through everyone there. He pushed Lout away and spoke. It was a gravelly sound that would have been beautiful if it wasn't dead and filled with hate. "I forgot how much I hated you people"

* * *

Ruff shouted back "What do ya' mean by that?!"

He sounded as if he would be more interested in the weather than answering "All of you are liars. Until I found Toothless" he gestured to the sleeping giant "I was worse that useless in your eyes. Only two people ever showed me kindness" he held up two fingers almost as if an accusation "and neither one of them was my father" all the eyes there turned to Stoic who seemed catatonic. He continued "My mother and Gobber, who is more a father to me than Stoic. Only two other's didn't loath me, both were indifferent, Fishlegs and Astrid. All of you can go see Hel" and he walked over to a gapping Gobber and gently placed a hand on his shoulder then stunned the crowd by easily lifting up Toothless and putting the dragon on his shoulder, who had obviously grown, and walked to the edge of the circle where Tuff stood in his way.

Tuff put up both hand is an effort to stop Hiccup. Hiccup made a fist, knuckles cracking like lightning all the while, and smashed it into Tuff's face dropping him in one shot. Hiccup calmly walked over the unconscious twin and into the forest to the uninhabited side of the isle. Toothless tail scarred the dirt in a line. A trail of dust that filled the air was breathed in like Hiccup's resentment.

* * *

Astrid sat on her bed holding a pillow to her chest. It had been two weeks since Hiccup had come back. Nobody had seen him since then. Occasionally Gobber went to talk to him and reappeared alive and unharmed. When Lout tried this he came back with multiple lacerations, a broken arm and sporting some rather interesting bruising. She peered out of her window into the golden clouds of dawn. She would see Hiccup today.

* * *

Astrid walked to the forge, she raised her hand to knock when, with a loud crash, the door was kicked open by the very figure she was going to see. Gobber hobbled out of the building carrying several large and heavy bags. Cursing and groaning Gobber finally looked up and saw her "Hey there Lassie . Did ya wan anything?"

She put her hands behind her back and scuffed her boot on the path like a shy little girl "Um…I was actually hoping you could take me to see Hiccup…"

Gobber looked at her seriously "an why would ya wanna see that sour boy?"

She mumbled "just to see him…that's all"

Gobber groaned. The boy was gonna kill him. "then get yur dragon over 'ere gonna need his help to get these blasted bags to him anyway"

She smiled and let out a shrill whistle. Within five minutes they were on their way.

* * *

Astrid was undeniable and unequivocally lost. They had been following a game trail for over an hour and they seemed to have been going nowhere. Her companions seemed to know otherwise. Cloudcatcher was squawking happily and Gobber was humming a tune about a troll and a Viking in a drinking contest. As she opened her mouth to speak the happened upon a clearing. A large two story house dominated the open area. The dark wood blended with that of the forest around making a idyllic little scene. A babbling brook nearby added it's voice to the melody. The ringing of a hammer came from behind the house. Astrid was immensely glad the gods didn't send snow that day for two reasons. The first was that the bags were already a bitch to deal with and snow would have made the job even more unpleasant. Second, and in her mind more importantly, Hiccup was at the forge but had not put a shirt on.

Hiccup had more scars than were shown that first day. His whole body had thousands of marks crisscrossing in a pattern that could have kept the most keen minds wondering where one ended and another began. Around his left bicep was a most interesting device. It looked like he had pasted Toothless' scales around his arm, the scales danced hypnotically in the flickering forge light. Astrid was pulled out of her trance as Gobber greeted the figure heartily and received a grunt. Hiccup went to the bags and pulled out assorted materials before continuing his work.

The red sun made it's way down below the earth and Hiccup had done nothing but work beside a chatting Gobber and an ogling Astrid, he didn't say anything but as they left he handed Gobber a key and spoke "told me you broke the other one" and returned to his work.

* * *

Astrid had developed a schedule, do chores, fly, train, see Hiccup, sleep. Only Saturday had a change. Go see Hiccup and bring a lunch. Hiccup was always silent. He generally ignored everything but his work. Two weeks in however Astrid saw something that would always take her breath away.

Hiccup was flying with Toothless. The dragon was now over thirty feet long and had only gained in the flying department-grace, agility, speed and finesse. She had wondered if Slephnir was a dragon. Now she was sure. And he was a night fury. There was nothing she could compare it to. It was as if the fury was swimming in the air. He pulled off acrobatics that left you gasping expecting a crash any second. It felt like eons later when the dragon landed lightly and Hiccup swung a leg off. She noticed something else too, on his belt were three things, a knife, a hatchet, and a sword. He caught her gaze and took off his belt and handed it to her.

* * *

Astrid Hoffson was knowledgeable when it came to weapons, she also believed herself a good judge of craftsmanship. These three simple pieces left her breathless. The knife's handle was carved out of some type of wood so dark it was almost black, carved into the wood was Yggdrasil, the World Tree. The carving's detail included thousands of roots and the worm Niohoggr, gnawing at the interconnected roots. The thousands of branches cradled millions of leaves and the sun. Her gaze continued down to the blade as there was no distinction from where the handle ended and the blade began. The mosaic of Yggdrasil's roots continued down to the tip of the blade meeting at the point, the blade itself had a gentle green sheen indicating a high copper content in the metal folds. She carefully placed it back in it's sheath and drew out the hatchet. As an axe girl Astrid prided herself on her knowledge of axe and hatchet. The whole tool was one piece of metal. The handle was wrapped in dark leather lace that still showed the bright blue tinted silver metal. The neck of the tool had a bend that allowed the head to stick out just slightly giving a much better swing. The metal had no adornments. In her mind it needed none the cobalt itself was the adornment. The blue tint swirled around in places giving a hypnotic pattern of swooping curves and rising whirlpools. She gently placed the shaft in the hole and dropped the leather cover over the head. Astrid had seen his skill before then but she never gave a close inspection. Her breath was coming out in uneven gasps. If he could do this what else could he do? She broke her introspection to look at the sword. The sheath was a dark leather, no doubt the inside was lined with lambs wool; he was no idiot to forge such an amazing weapon and then not care for it. The hilt was a solid cylinder of black metal matching the leather of the sheath, that tapered in towards the middle. The scenes of Fenrir and Odin and Jormungandr and Thor. The artwork must have taken months; the fear was bright in Thor's eyes as was the resignation in Odin's. Fenrir's body radiated feral blood lust and Jormungndr's held the hate of his father. The importance of the scene and it's placement could not have been clearer. The engravings use was, as with the knife's, to allow the wielder to never loose their grip. The scene also named the sword. Ragnarok. She swallowed the lump in her throat. What bloody masterpiece had he forged? Nobody used _that_ name for anything other than what it was, the end of the world. She reached for the hilt and stopped, she wiped her hand on her skirt and gently grasped the blade. The blade left its cradle with a distinctive sound. Like a bell tolling the future. The absence of a cross piece trailed the eye to the shape of the blade. The sword was not the traditional broadsword of the Vikings. The single edged blade was four and a half feet with a slight curve. The edge was a blood red that grew darker as it metal approached the spine to a deep rich red. The technique to put that much iron in a sword without harming the effectiveness was nothing she had ever heard of. She stared at the blacksmith for a long time.

A dastardly idea took root in her brain. Her axe had shattered during a hunt about four days before. Without her beloved weapon she felt incomplete. What she was thinking of doing was in the realm of the impossible. She gathered herself and her arguments before lifting her face and the biggest puppy dog eyes she could muster at the smith. Her lips trembled as she spoke "Could you make m-me an axe? Please…?" her uncertainly grew as he crossed his arms and raised a eyebrow. She opened her mouth to continue. He nodded. Her smile grew until her cheeks ached. If she had been paying attention she would have seen a small genuine smile and blush fall across his scared cheeks.

* * *

When she skipped, yes literally skipped, into the house her father stared for a moment before asking "what's gotten in ta ya'?" she ran up to him and threw her arms around her father.

For the first time in his life he heard his daughter squeal. It took all his will power not to laugh. "I got Hiccup to make me an axe!" her father suddenly looked very apprehensive.

"What's the price?"

"I don't know but I would pay the entire island for one of those beauties" her eyes glazed over as she recounted the works she saw and those in the forge. She knew her father was a skeptic and she knew it was time to pull out the heavy artillery as his face shifted to the 'I-don't-believe-you-I'm-just-listening-to-shut-you-up' look.

Hiccup was walking to meet Toothless at the edge of the village. He had returned some of Gobber's tools to him as he had forged himself a set. As he was walking past the Hoffson home he was jerked into the house. Astrid was babbling to her father and then looked at him and whispered in his ear "could you please show him Ragnarok?" he froze before nodding. As he drew and placed the sword in her father's hands he cursed the lower part of his body that unbeknownst to her she was dragging him around by.

Her father's look changed from 'whatever' to 'where do I get one of _THOSE' _in less time than it took lightning to strike.

* * *

The next day the sun was witness to Astrid standing in Hiccup's sanctuary-his forge. Cloudcatcher and Toothless both dozed in the sunlight that flooded through an open window. Hiccup sat on a wooden stool with a large and impossibly heavy anvil on his left. Paper, an ink jar and a quill sat on the slab ready for use. Hiccup looked her up and down. Astrid hadn't changed much in the two years, her hair was longer sure and she had gotten taller. And she had grown in…other areas too. It was a good thing Hiccup's concentration was needle sharp or else his eyes would have spent hours looking at her…assets. Her demeanor was the same. Hiccup looked and growled in dragonese softly 'if it ain't broke don't fix it..' and looked at her again. Her style of clothing was the same just bigger. Out of his pocket he pulled a string with knots set at inch intervals. He gestured her to stand up straight.

* * *

As the sun reached it's zenith Astrid was getting beyond hot and bothered. He had measured things like height, arm length, hand width and for Odin only knows why leg length. Each time he skimmed the string and his fingers across so lightly she couldn't have dreamed them touching her that lightly. After every measurement he walked over to the notes silently, another oddity for the one legged man, and she would feel her body calm down until his hands touched her, unfortunately for her, her nerves didn't fade. Hiccup gestured to a stool right in front of him and she sat down. His face was on the note pad as he shot off questions.

"double or single blade?"

"Single, I think would be easier to make for me…"

"I asked what you wanted, Not what would be easier." his commanding tone rattled something in her, both dragons woke up long enough to sniff the air and toss a concerned glace towards her as she crossed her legs.

"uhhh…I think I want a d-" "you think or know?" she glanced up her thoughts were jumbled 'shit, commanding is hotter than silent!' she gathered her courage as she fought against a rush of blood to her face "I want a double blade."

"length?"

"you took all the measurements. Why don't you tell me?"

He looked up at her and rumbled "I can't. I haven't seen you fight"

She paused "why don't we have a match?" the challenge was issued.

He smirked "you wouldn't win" and answered.

She walked over to the wall and pulled an unsharpened axe from the wall. Her smile was predatory "Oh, really now?"

He pulled a headless spear of the wall and led her to the field between his house and the forge and turned to face her.

* * *

The field was roughly fifty by fifty yards and filled with a lush grass that grew in the incredibly short summer that brightened up the tiny island. Hiccup and Astrid were both in a fighting position. Knees bent and holding their respective weapon out in front of them. After a few minutes Hiccup knew that Astrid would invoke the legendary Viking patience; no patience at all and charge. He was right. As she charged with a battle cry he simply stepped out of the way and placed the shaft of the spear in the ground right in front of her. She fell with a WHUMP and a cry of indignation. She stood and glared at her calm opponent. She realized the folly of her method and stalked over to him and tried an over head swing. Again he stepped aside and tangle the butt of the spear in her stance causing her to fall. she stood up again. Both knew the game, get her to fall until she became enraged, admittedly not many more falls, and then take her down. Astrid was unnerved. This MAN had more battle experience that her, his scars proved that. But what could she do? A sinister plan hatched in her mind and she transferred the axe to her off hand and drew her dagger. With a flick of her wrist the small blade whirled towards Hiccup's calf. Using the length of the spear he tilted the weapon to catch the offending knife. His eyes never left hers. Damn she was going to rush in as soon as his eyes left hers. 'oh well' she thought while charging in. Hiccup dropped the spear and pivoted on his lead foot, his hand directed the blow down into the earth, suddenly reversing her movements he jerked her straight back and her hands flew off the axe. She thumped onto the ground stunned. From her vantage point she could stare straight into his eyes. His eyes held his old caring. Suddenly a sharp pain caught her in her thigh. She winced and looked down. The knife.

During her short and unexpected flight she had stepped on the spear and somehow gotten about two inches of the blade imbedded in her leg. Hiccup held a hand out. He pulled her into a bridal style position and went into his home. She gasped, the little place looked downright… _homey_. They had entered by the back door that opened into a combined living room cooking area. The entire floor was covered in a rock tile with various animal skin rugs here and there. The living area had a large bear skin rug in the middle with a large sofa on one side and two chairs on the other between the two sat a plain metal table. He maneuvered her to the sofa and forced her to lie down. He ran up the slate stairs and rushed back down with a first aid kit. He looked abash as he blushed "gonna have to take the legging off…" suddenly Astrid was blushing as well she nodded. He pulled off her boots before running his knife from the wound to her foot and then up until it was almost under her skirt. He looked at her before pointing to the blade in her thigh. She looked around.

She sighed in despair "do you have anything to…bite down on?" she didn't want to cry out. It was _un-Viking_ he smirked that infuriating smirk and stuck his fore arm in her mouth.

She raised an eyebrow and looked at him in disbelief. He rolled his eyes "my arm has been chomped on by dragons, bears, lions and rabid rabbits. Oh no! human teeth whatever shall I do?" she chomped down at his sarcasm. As she chomped he pulled the blade out. She fainted for a moment.

As she came to Hiccup was gently dabbing ointments on the wound. Gods no man should have hands that soft! And how on earth did he have such soft hands being a blacksmith?! She couldn't suppress a moan that escaped her lips. Not even a moan of pain, his head twitched up. His eyes met hers and 'oh damn why does he have THAT look on his face!'

* * *

Astrid thoughts whirled in a chaotic tornado 'this guy wouldn't talk to me a week ago and now he's giving me looks that would make Frigg blush!' not that his advances were unwelcome. Nor was his hand on her bare thigh. Nor the nips on her neck. Gods this was getting out of hand, she opened her mouth to tell him so but suddenly her tongue was down his throat. Not what she wanted. But after a moment she decided it was defiantly what she _needed and went along with it._

_She tugged up on his shirt and he broke away to pull it off and buried his face in her neck. With a gasp she grabbed his arms. A slight *tink* was heard as she put her nails on the scale band, she felt him shiver. Her smile was mischievous, she pulled away and licked the band. His tremors went right through her. She began sucking on the band leaving little hickies on his arm. She stopped for a second "how'd you do that?" and she went back to her task._

"_TooOOOthless lost some scales in a f-ff-fight and I got some bad s-s-scars, could you stop doing that it's hard to concentrate when-" _

_She dragged her tongue across his flesh and mumbled "naha" and kept going._

"_and I put them under the s-s-skin thinking of it like a t-t-tattoo" he concluded. He scrunched his eyes closed as he moved from his arm to the scars that ran haphazardly across his torso. In a split second Hiccup rolled her on top of him and started undoing her skirt. In short order that particular article of clothes was across the room and he ran his hand along the inside of her thigh causing her to squeak and grind into him. She looked down, oh was that a mistake. Hiccup focused in on her like a shark to blood, and before she realized it she was on his sheets with not a stitch on. His hands supported him from either side of her head then it happened. He demonstrate what had been called 'the most talented tongue on Berk' his sarcasm and vocabulary earned him that title. At the moment she found it more than fitting. He ran his mouth over her neck and whispered things to her just to where she could here them. Blood didn't rush to her face. It sprinted south. After sufficient torture he moved down to her stomach. Gods she was so soft…_

_He kissed her belly and ran his hands to her breast and carefully explored them. Their perfect size and rosy peaks. She was beyond aggravated. Why wouldn't he play with them in his magic mouth? She whined, begged, groveled and moaned. After an agonizing intensive pleasurable torture. He did. His lips caressed, his teeth claimed and his tongue worshiped. Oh lord did it worship. One hand of his was on the other breast and the other snuck down to play with her inner thigh. Suddenly the begging started again, tongue thigh now. After the same length thought he dragged his face down her body, his nose leaving a molten trail down her skin. He decided to play, he nipped, kissed, sucked and licked all across her lower body without satisfying the ache in her belly. He grabbed her bud with his teeth and stuck a finger deep inside her. Astrid couldn't help but tightening up on him as she rode out her first wave. She gasped and looked at him. 'he shouldn't look that smug…why don't I…' and she rolled him down onto the furs. Unfortunately for her, Hiccup is damn near psychic and relaxed right before she pulled so she rolled until she was back on the bottom. She huffed her lips out in protest. Then much to his infinite dismay she felt something rubbing up against her lower lips. It was her turn to smirk and his to gulp. She pulled the lace to his pants and peeled him out of his own clothes in a heart beat. The grabbed him and did something that absolutely drove him insane. She nuzzled him. She gently led her mouth over every growing inch. He decided enough was enough and pulled her onto the sea of furs. He gently pushed against her entrance and looked at her. She speared herself on him._

* * *

_As the sun was falling snow started piling up and Hiccup lay in his bead with Astrid's sleeping head on his chest. As he saw the snow and her sleeping form he whistled and a terror quickly answered from the roost he had created on the first floor. He paced to his desk and jotted down a note in his no frills blacksmith scrip and tied it around the dragons tiny belly and gave it directions. It licked it's eyes and bounced off. As he slipped back under the furs he met the iceberg eyes that warmed his soul. He kissed her on her forehead and pulled her close. _

_She stared at him for a second. "hey Hiccup? Why is the ground floor so warm but this one so cold?"_

_He smiled leave it to Astrid to ask a logistical question right after mind blowing sex. "the first floor has the dragon roosts. That's why it's so warm. This floor is situated to allow the heat to flow around it…I got used to the cold and now if it's too hot I can't sleep." she snuggled deeper into his chest._

"_you know, I'm really lucky. Nobody else in our group's gotten this close."_

_He smiled "I know. Legs likes Ruff who likes Lout and he likes her back. Oh, yeah and Tuff likes that girl from the baker's place" _

_She stared back at him, dumbstruck. "how did you…I mean you haven't seen them in weeks!"_

_He chuckled. "dragons talk…oh, I should warn you. Your cousin, the one a year or two younger than us?"_

"_Yelda?"_

"_yeah that one, she's got a major crush on Legs"_

_She pulled herself closer to Hiccup. She could imagine those two together. Man they were cute._

* * *

_Two days later when Hiccup could shovel his way to the forge he started working on the axe. That day Astrid had gone home._

* * *

_Astrid was getting worried. Nobody had seen Hiccup in close to a month. She resolved in the dying light to see him again…just see him, not his magic fingers, or his wonderful tongue. Defiantly not his orgasmic-she cut herself off mid thought. She flopped down ungracefully on her bed. She shivered. Her bed was cold, unlike his bed so warm and toasty and drenched in sweat from- she reigned herself in again. She curled up into a ball. Waiting was not a Viking virtue._

_Knocking on her door rouser her from her fitful slumber. There was chatting. Then silence. Then her door opened and her mother stared down and her drowsy daughter. She snapped out "get your best clothes on!" Astrid blinked slowly "NOW!" and was sufficiently galvanized into action. _

_After getting dressed she was hauled to the Great Hall. Stoic was laughing with Hiccup. She rubbed her eyes. Yup still there. Hiccup spotted her and meandered his way over._

"_when did you start talking to your dad?"_

_His voice sounded a bit dazed. "When he came to the house last week and told me everything."_

"_What everything?" he smirked and shook his head. Astrid glanced around. Only her family, some dragons, Gobber, Hiccup and Stoic were in the Hall. "What's this all about?"_

_Hiccup walked over to Toothless and pulled a bundle out from a side pocket and knelt holding it out to her._

_The bundle was snow white silk. She ran her hands over the material before unwrapping. In a bed of snow white was her axe._

_Her eyes first beheld the long dark wood shaft. The first third was wrapped in black leather lace while the next a dark steel end cap cradled the square wood. The next two parts of the shaft were filled with pictures of the dead being pulled of the battlefield and riding up to Valhalla. The dark wood shaft bloomed into her namesake flower before pulling away to reveal the metal of the weapon. The twin heads held swirls of blues, whites and greens in the near black metal, upon the square base sat two gently curving heads that pulled further down from the base than the top giving a natural taper to the blade. In the metal shaft right above the wooden flower sat carved vertically "Valkyrie is my name. thousands will I send' she looked up._

_Hiccup was still on one knee with his head down "I know that a smith never names a piece," he looked at Gobber "But some pieces name themselves. Do you accept Valkyie?"_

_She took her axe-Valkyrie from her bed and nodded. She ran her hands over the shaft savoring every inch of the soft but unyielding wood. Never before had she even held a named weapon. A named weapon was a treasure of the highest caliber, the ultimate demonstration of skill from a blacksmith. She looked at Gobber in awe, he smiled and nodded. Only a master smith could present a named weapon. If Stoic and Gobber both approved the weapon than it proved Hiccup was a smith of the highest order. She caressed the blade, when her fingers left a tone like a bell chimed forth from the metal. As she put it back in the silk and rewrapped it she felt a tremor of delight. If a person named a weapon without it being of quality…well there wasn't a worse way to go. Her old axe wasn't named. In fact, the only two people she knew with a named weapon was Hiccup with Ragnarok and Stoic with the family heirloom sword Bloodshade. _

_Her parents looked at Valkyrie with a deep sense of respect. Her mother let out a gasp, and looked around for Hiccup. The man never made a sound as he moved. He appeared right behind her and placed two large bundles on the ground behind them and she nodded._

_Astrid came out of her reverie "What's the price for it-her?" in the depths of her heart she knew she couldn't afford this work. Nobody on the island could afforded it. Even if everybody put their money together._

_He grinned in pure joy "A signature." and he held up a lambskin scroll._

_She eyed the scroll with slight apprehension. Lambskin meant something big. She read the scroll three times before it sank in. her eyebrows shot into a far and distant land. She smiled and signed the contract. Stoic couldn't help as a grin spread across his craggy features. _

_Those inside the Hall walked out and Stoic called them all to heed his call. When the entire village stood in front of him he made the announcement. "On the first Frey's day after the coming of spring we have a wedding between Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III and Astrid Hoffson!" and a great roar went up. _

_Astrid smiled. Hiccup was becoming his old self step by step. And every inch of the way held only surprises…_


End file.
